Ncitha complains to Nene

Buffalo City Metro executive mayor Zukiswa Ncitha has hit back at a National Treasury official who warned her against suspending municipal manager Andile Fani.Ncitha has written to Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene complaining that accountant-general Michael Sass disrespected local government when he made “a thinly veiled threat” that she should not suspend Fani over a proposed Treasury investigation into metro spending.

Questions were sent to Treasury yesterday inviting comment on Ncitha’s letter but no response had been received at the time of writing.

Sass wrote to Ncitha earlier this month warning her against the suspension after the mayor asked council to probe Fani’s failure to advise the metro of the pending investigation and also his conduct in relation to a tender box.

In her complaint to Nene, Ncitha writes   Sass had “a nerve to tell us” the process of “investigating allegations” against BCM was “still at its infancy” five months after asking Fani for information on the allegations.

Among various fiduciary responsibilities under the Municipal Finance Management Act, the municipal manager was enjoined to disclose to the council and mayor all available material facts which might influence their decisions or actions.

“If council is of the view  the accounting officer has not complied with his fiduciary duty, council has a right to institute appropriate action to rectify such conduct,” Ncitha writes.

Fani had been given a chance to convince council he would not interfere with the investigation.

Instead, she says, he opened a case against her, speaker Luleka Simon-Ndzele and councillor Sindiswa Gomba “with false allegations” they had breached their bail conditions in the Mandela memorial fraud case. — rayh@dispatch.co.za